Transcript Source Credibility

Think About:
WHAT WEB SITES DO YOU NORMALLY FREQUENT?
Source Credibility
DISCOVERING CREDIBILITY
Credibility
A CREDIBLE SOURCE IS ONE THAT IS
TRUSTWORTHY, PROVIDING TRUE,
ACCURATE, AND BALANCED INFORMATION.
Library Sources
 Generally, periodicals, journals, and other sources
found in the College Library are considered credible
because professionals must gain approval for the
writing before publication.
Web Sources
 On the other hand, anyone may create a Web site, so
the credibility of that information is usually more
difficult to determine.
Evaluating Web Sites
 Most people conduct Internet research by using a
search engine such as Google or Yahoo and typing in
key words. This process normally turns up thousands
of Web site hits. Some of these sites are reliable,
whereas others are not.
Evaluating Web Sites
 To determine a Web site’s credibility, consider the
following questions:

 What is the Web site’s purpose and affiliation?
 What are the author’s credentials?
 Is the information current?
 Does the information cross-reference well with other
sites?
 Does the Web site look professional?
What is the Web Site’s Purpose and Affiliation?
 If a Web site is a business whose purpose is to sell
you a product, for example, then would you
necessarily want to trust them immediately?
 The business may tell you everything positive about
the product and leave out the negative.
 Before trusting the site and buying the product, see
what other sites say about the same item.
What Are the Author’s Credentials?
 . If the author is not familiar to you, look up his or
her name using a search engine. If possible, find a
complete biography of the author to review his or her
credentials on the subject.
 Authors must:
be professional.
have experience in their subject matter.
possibly work for a credible organization.
Is the Information Current?
 If you read Web site information with no specific
date, scroll to the bottom and look at the copyright
date. You may also look for a last updated date. Stay
away from information that is more than 2 years old
unless the information is still current to your specific
topic.
Does the Information Cross-Reference
Well With Other Sites?
 If you have answered all the above questions, but you
still cannot determine if the information provided is
credible, cross-reference that information with other
sites—go to other Web sites with information on the
same topic to see if the information provided
matches the initial information you found. If you
find inconsistent information, you would not want to
use the incorrect source as a reference.

Is the Web Site Professional?
 These days, almost anyone may create a
professional-looking Web site, but just because a site
looks good does not necessarily mean it is.
 On the other hand, you may want to stay away from
sites that look homemade or unprofessional.
 Additionally, look for errors. If links do not work or
there are numerous problems with spelling and
grammar, you may not want to trust the source.
Websites
 http://www.rythospital.com/2011/
 http://www.petroldirect.com/
CHECKPOINT- Due Next Class!
 Use the handout to evaluate the relevance and
credibility of one of the sources you have found.